‘Hot Spot’ Director Agnieszka Smoczynska Talks Singing Mermaids, ‘Silent Twins’ and ‘Mentor’ Agnieszka Holland

Marta Balaga
·4 min read
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Polish helmer Agnieszka Smoczyńska fought for Tamara Lawrance to be a part of “The Silent Twins,” she said at Karlovy Vary Film Festival.

“We had two options: [hire] one actress who plays both characters, but there is no chemistry, or find actual twins, which was not possible. We had Letitia Wright, who was this amazing actress and ‘Black Panther’ star, and then we found Tamara,” she said.

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The story was inspired by real-life identical twins June and Jennifer Gibbons, who only communicated with each other.

“They are not that similar, so what do you do? You make a decision. And I knew she was the one, because it was all about this tension between them.”

Smoczyńska opened up about difficult choices and her career during an exclusive masterclass for 10 young filmmakers selected for EFP’s Future Frames – Generation Next of European Cinema.

“I really wanted to make my movie. Not somebody else’s movie,” she said about dazzling debut “The Lure.” But its mix of singing mermaids, 1980s nightclubs and dark imagery inspired by artist Aleksandra Waliszewska made it a tough sell.

“In Poland, the distributor wanted to hide the mermaids, hide the fishtails, they wanted to get rid of the horror elements. That’s why it’s so important to find a good mentor when you are making your first film. I found Agnieszka Holland,” she said about the Oscar-nominated director.

“She really fought for me. When they asked me to cut one scene with a fishtail, arguing it was ‘ugly,’ she said: ‘It sets the tone of the film. You can’t do it, otherwise it will be ordinary and obvious.’ It was my first time, so otherwise, I would probably compromise. But you really can’t do that.”

While “The Lure’s” local premiere was a “disaster” – “It was promoted as a dancing comedy,” she said – Sundance came knocking.

“I met my agents there. But don’t say yes to anybody who wants you and don’t take anything they offer,” she advised upcoming filmmakers. Instead of immediately chasing English-language projects, she decided to make “Fugue,” which premiered in Cannes.

“It’s changing now because of the streaming platforms and young people watching subtitled content, but for the U.S. industry it used to be crucial that a director, or a DP, makes English-language movies. Today, big companies invest in international projects. Start by making films based on the stories only you can tell,” she said, revealing her personal connections to “The Lure.”

“I grew up in these dancing clubs. My parents used to party there. My mother had seven sisters and one of them sacrificed her life. You can hide behind the mask, behind the metaphor. Even behind the mermaids! But the story has to be yours.”

Currently, Smoczyńska is working on “Hot Spot,” about a disillusioned private eye Djonny, investigating a murder at a refugee camp and confronting a cyber witch who takes control of his life.

“In Europe, it’s good to have co-productions. It’s better for arthouse films, especially nowadays. On this sci-fi film, based somewhere in the future, we will have Greece, France and Poland on board,” she said. New Europe Film Sales is handling sales.

While it’s important to constantly “feed your imagination” and work with friends – “By ‘friends’ I mean the people you trust, not just as human beings but also as artists. Same goes for producers” – ultimately, it’s all about characters and emotions.

“You can always say to your collaborators: ‘I don’t know how to do it, but we need this emption,’” she said, recalling another time she had to stick to her guns.

“The first cut of ‘The Lure’ looked beautiful, but we shot in a river and the actresses were visibly shaking. It would be fine if they were human beings, but they were mermaids! We decided to reshoot it. Sometimes you make decisions that nobody else understands, even your DP.”

And if people say you are crazy?

“Embrace the madness.”

Agnieszka Smoczynska
Agnieszka Smoczynska on the set of “Fugue”

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